If This Was A Movie
by Mikaela.xo
Summary: An accident sends Rachel Berry and her daughter back to Lima. Will the accident and a certain Noah Puckerman help her realize she's worth more than she believes she is?
1. Alone

**You guys all hate me, I know! I haven't even finished my other Puckleberry story and here I am, starting a new one! Long story short, graduating school, work and everything else got in the way and my laptop is being horrible and won't do much. So I've got a new laptop, and while I'm trying to get my other story back, I'm starting this one! I really think it's got potential, and I'm thinking of making it about ten chapters. So enjoy!**

***Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or anything associated with it.***

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><p>Looking back on her life, Rachel Berry never expected this is where she would be six years from her senior year. There was no denying she had changed; she wasn't the same determined, independent girl from all that time ago. She wasn't anything like that girl anymore.<p>

As soon as she graduated, she was out of Lima headed for New York. She never wanted to go back there; high school had been rough and her fathers had been the only ones to support her. But she had so many great memories with the glee club to remember, and she promised herself if there was anything she wouldn't forget, it would be their worthy first place win at Nationals in her senior year. They had all treasured that first place trophy, and it sat in the prime position in the glee club trophy cabinet.

Rachel reminisced on her past quite often. She would take out the photos and the memories came flashing back to her. She loved sharing it with her daughter, laying out the photo albums as she flicked through the pages slowly. Her one year old little girl, Briella, was almost a spitting image of her mother, but with her father's blonde hair and blue eyes. She definitely hadn't been planned, but it didn't mean she was any less wanted by her parents. Well, her mother, at least. The little girl would blubber and talk in what sounded like gibberish to her mother as she laid her hands over the photos, pointing to a young Rachel in a couple of the pictures. Rachel would just giggle at the girl, pecking her forehead and nodding, telling the girl that it in fact was her momma. There was no doubt that Rachel adored Briella; she had to adjust so quickly to motherhood, dropping everything else in her life to take care of her baby. But she wouldn't change a thing.

She hadn't exactly been so successful in New York in the first place, so she tried to remember and keep in the mind that she hadn't lost a whole lot. She had rented a small one bedroom apartment on the outskirts of the city, and tried her luck at some small Broadway shows. But with no luck over and over again, she decided she was obviously searching in the wrong places. She didn't want to give up, but being turned down so frequently was starting to take its toll on Rachel. It was then she realized she wasn't the only Rachel Berry in New York. This was the city of Broadway dreams, and she wasn't the only talented girl to want a role in the most popular of theatre shows. With all the auditions and rehearsing and call-backs with no set in stone roles coming out of all this wasted time, the brunette was running out of money and determination. So she used the last of her savings and enrolled into NYADA (which she regretted enrolling in when she first got to New York) and to her surprise, she got in. It hardly made a difference to her lack of success, instead just putting her in debt. When she was about to hit rock bottom, she met her now husband and the father of her child, Caleb. They met at NYADA, Caleb studying to be a director. His blonde hair was short but styled; he was tall and skinny, with blue eyes and a dazzling smile. He swept her off her feet, and before she even had time to think, they were married. She loved him, she really did, but it had all happened so fast, she had no time to wonder if she was rushing into things. She had married when she was only 21, only just legal to drink alcohol, and she had made such a big step by getting married. She couldn't complain, he treated her well, got her everything she wanted. That was until two years later, she became pregnant. It was a shock to the both of them, but Rachel was happy. Caleb got a job offer not too long later in North Carolina in Charlotte, and Rachel decided it would be best to bring their child up in a town that wasn't such a big bustling city like New York. As much as it pained her to leave New York, it's what she had to do for her family.

But once they moved, everything changed. They had only just settled into their new home when Caleb changed. His once soft, sweet and charming personality disappeared. He became arrogant and self-centred; he would come home late from work every single night, his only reply to Rachel a grunt, as he threw down his food she had cooked for him before going to bed. It happened almost every single day until the last month of Rachel's pregnancy. She had no time for rest; Caleb was always out and she was the one to clean the house, cook meals, do the chores and run errands. By the end of her pregnancy, she was absolutely exhausted. She wasn't at all glowing, but instead just wanted to constantly sleep. But she had no time to do that; Caleb expected dinner once he arrived home, and the house to be clean. It wasn't easy, but Rachel coped. She couldn't leave him, not now. She was pregnant with his child and she couldn't put him in that position, no matter how much he was hurting her right now. She assumed he was cheating, all the late nights, the exhaustion and the quietness from him basically confirmed it. But she couldn't leave him. So she stayed put, right up until their daughter was born, hoping he would change once he saw his little girl for the first time.

She wanted to get out, she really did. But long story short, she didn't. So here she was, on a cold, November night, flicking through the pages of the photo album from her senior year, her daughter making baby noises as she played with the pages. Rachel ran her hand over the baby's head softly, before placing a peck on her forehead. She took the book from the girl carefully as she saw her yawn, knowing it was her bedtime. She placed the book on the bedside table and picked the girl up, holding her securely in her arms as she carried her to her crib, tucking her in.

"Goodnight, sweetie. Mommy loves you."

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><p>Running her hand over the baby's soft head, she left the room and turned the light off, looking back at the already sleeping girl. This little girl meant so much to her, and she wasn't going to lose her. Once Briella was born, Rachel realized that Caleb wasn't exactly the fathering type. Sure, on the odd occasion when he did pay attention to the little girl, she could tell that the little girl loved him, but he just didn't want to be a daddy to her. And it made Rachel's heart ache to see her daughter, <em>their <em>daughter, neglected by him. It's not how she pictured their family to be.

That night when she went to bed, she thought back on her life prior to this one. Right back to high school, to her family and glee club. She wondered how her dads were doing; it had been so long since she had been in contact with them. And the glee club, she wondered how each and every one of her old peers was doing. She knew in her heart that every one of them deserved to be happy, and deserved to be successful. Rachel knew they all had the potential to go somewhere in life, but whether or not they saw that was a different story.

It was then when she was just drifting off to sleep that the phone call came. She picked up her phone groggily, muttering a "hello" as she yawned. The man on the other line, her dad, was frantic, rambling a whole lot of words that she could hardly understand. It wasn't until she heard 'your daddy', 'car accident' and 'he doesn't have much time left, Rach' that she realized this was serious. She could hear her dad crying on the other end, which only made the tears run down Rachel's cheeks a whole lot more. It was no surprise that Caleb still wasn't home from 'work'; she was a little relieved that he didn't see her like this. In that moment as she hung up on her dad, she knew that she needed to get back to Lima.

The intenseness of Puck's night hit him as the sun blasted through the windows, forcing him to close his eyes immediately after opening them. Groaning, he rolled over, opening his eyes to find the obvious reason he felt like shit. It was _her_.

"Fuck." He mumbled to himself as he quietly but swiftly rose from the bed, pulling on his pants from where they were strewn over the room last night with the rest of his clothes. Once he was fully clothed, he checked he had everything and he was out of there. Driving down the streets of Lima back to his apartment, he cursed as he thought about what had just happened. He had slept with Lucy. He had just got rid of the psycho bitch that controlled his every move, and now here he was, doing the walk of shame back into his two bedroom apartment after he got so drunk off his arse the night before that he couldn't even remember fucking her.

Life for Puck since high school had been crazy to say the least. He always told himself he would get out of this shitty town for good, make something of his life. And it wasn't for a lack of trying. He left after high school to try his luck in LA, see what his music talent could do for him. He got himself a record deal at a small label, but his reputation got him into too much trouble in the end, and after a couple of years, the label dropped him, saying he needed a 'break' from music and fame. A year later and he was living in Lima (housing in LA was _expensive _when you had a crappy job) still on his so called break from music. The label had basically screwed him over as soon as his contract ran out. He wasn't 'celebrity material' according to the company. He told them to screw it and left LA, moving back to Lima, much to his displeasure. But it was cheap and easy enough to get a job, so he knew he would have to settle for at least a couple of months, which turned into a year.

Lima is where he met Lucy, a couple of months after settling back into the shitty town. He hadn't had sex in _months_, and he was a sex shark. You could say it helped him function; he could hardly think straight if he hadn't gotten any. He met her at the local community college; she was studying teaching and he was studying fitness. She was good for sex, he wasn't going to lie. And then they were kind of sort of casually dating, and Puck didn't complain since the sex was pretty much a regular thing. And then she fell in love and he had to get out of the relationship. He was fucked up; he didn't want any girls falling in love with him. He could hardly keep it in his pants, so how was he going to go tied down? Not only that, but she was controlling. She needed to know what he was doing every second of every day. As far as he was concerned, he was doing her a favour. But instead, she yelled and screamed, threw a couple of things at him as he cursed at her and got the fuck out of that crazy psycho's apartment.

Going back there was a mistake, and he knew it. He could hardly remember the night before, which was probably a fucking good thing in this case. Flopping down on the couch, he could smell something in the kitchen. And if he wasn't mistaken, it smelt exactly like his mom's scrambled eggs. _How the fuck does she even have a key?_ He thought to himself as he raised an eyebrow at the Jewish woman behind the stove after he entered the kitchen.

"What the fuck, ma? You can't just come into my house like a crazy and make breakfast!" He shook his head frustratingly, as his mother just sighed at his cursing.

"Noah, I'm making you breakfast. You could at least thank me." Puck scoffed as he sat on the bar stool in front of the counter. "Seriously. I don't give a flying fuck if you're making me breakfast, this is _my _apartment."

Maria Puckerman had always loved her son, and supported him in everything he did. But all she ever wanted for her son was for him to be happy. But she could see it in his eyes that he wasn't happy. He hadn't been happy for a long time. But that was beside the point; she knew this Lucy girl was no good for her son. She wanted him to date a nice Jewish girl, was that too much to ask? Which brought her back to why she was actually at his house. She had found out about Rachel Berry's father; the Jewish community was a very tight nit group, and she knew Puck used to be friends with the Berry girl, so he of course had a right to know. She may have had other reasons for mentioning Rachel Berry to her son, but she wasn't going to go there.

"Noah, please. Hush. I'm here for a perfectly good reason. There's been an accident." Puck's heart skipped a beat when he heard the word 'accident'. Fuck. He had no idea what the fuck his mother was on about, but he was certainly now listening.

"Ma… you're shitting me, right? What the fuck is going on?" Maria could hear the concern in her son's voice. "Noah, do you remember Rachel Berry? Well her father was in an accident."

"Shit." That was all that came out of Puck's mouth as he sat in silence. Fuck, he knew how close Rachel had been to her fathers. Sure, she was annoying as hell and she never stopped talking, but no one deserved that.

Maria sighed. She could see the concern in Puck's eyes. His lack of gestures and talking said it all. "He doesn't have much time left. Noah, her other father asked if I could take her in and give her a place to stay while she's here. He's spending most of the time at the hospital and he doesn't want Rachel alone in their home. So I offered for her to stay with you."

Shit. How could his mother do that? She was fucking devious, that's all he knew. Sure, he felt for Berry, but how could he survive living with her? "Fuck. Are you for real?" He sighed a little, before running his hand over his head. "Fine. But this will be for a week, max. I can't live with Rachel fucking Berry, ma! I have my own life."

Maria Puckerman only smiled smugly at her son as she served him the scrambled eggs, before kissing him on the forehead and exiting his apartment. She knew it was wrong of her to use Rachel's misfortune to get them together, but ever since senior year, she knew those two belonged together. She didn't actually know anything about Rachel's current status, but she knew a week of those two living together would only make them realize how much those two matched.

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><p><strong>So there you go! Should I continue? Review and let me know what you think, and I PROMISE my other story will be updated as soon as I get my old laptop up and running!<strong>


	2. Keep Holding On

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed or favourited the story. I had so many people add this story to their favourites, I could not believe it! It was so exciting! So because I'm so nice to you all and had this written up, here is the next chapter already, a little gift to you guys to thank you for being so supportive of the story already! It's a little shorter, but I promise you, the next chapter is where things are going to go down! So enjoy!**

***Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or anything associated with it.***

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><p>It didn't take Rachel long until she was all packed for her long dreaded and awaited trip back to Lima. To be honest, she had no idea what to expect. Who was she going to run into around town? She didn't really know at all who stayed in Lima, so it was going to be interesting. She also knew for a fact that it was going to be an upsetting trip. Her daddy was dying. The father who had raised her for her whole entire life, the father who had given her everything she wanted, and had faith in her to follow her dream. She felt terrible for avoiding contact with them all these years, but she didn't want them to be disappointed in her. They had both put so much time, money, effort and praise into her dreams, knowing she was a talented girl and it's what she always wanted to do. She didn't want them to see her like this; she was mostly disappointed in herself. And now her father was dying, she wished she could take back the past and make the most of the time she had left with him. How much longer would she have? She knew he was in horrible shape, so all she could do was be by his side and make the most of her time with him.<p>

It pained her inside to know her daughter wasn't going to really get to know her grandfather. She was only a baby; she had no idea what was going on, but for that Rachel was a little relieved. She knew she was going to have to take Briella with her to Lima; she wanted her little girl to be with her in this sad time. She was the only thing getting her through each day.

Ever since the painful phone call last night, she had paced around the room as she tried to get the next flight to Lima, which wasn't until the next day, around lunch time. So until then, she tossed and turned in bed, thinking of every little thing she could expect in Lima. In the end, she gave up on getting a nights rest, and instead used her time to pack, cook quite a few meals for Caleb to keep him going through at least the rest of the week, she even did a little cleaning to distract her from her deadly thoughts. But nothing got the images out of her head of her father slowly dying without her there. She called her other father at least every hour for updates, with no change, although her dad did inform her that she would be staying with an old family friend for the company. She insisted she would be fine in their house, but her dad wouldn't back down. So in the end she gave in and got the address so she could get her stuff there as soon as she got to Lima. Why couldn't this be like a movie? Her father would make a turn for the worst before miraculously recovering, the accident becoming a thing of his past. But this wasn't a movie, and deep down inside, Rachel knew he wasn't going to get any better. So once 11am came, she collected her things, Briella in one arm and her travel suitcases in the other, and soon enough she was at the airport, catching her flight back to her past, only a note left for Caleb telling him of the news.

Puck casually got ready that morning after his little run in with his mother, much to his dismay, she had proceeded to inform him Rachel Berry would be arriving today. Fuck his life. There was definitely a part of him that wanted to see Rachel. She was fuckin' hot, and he remembered from high school those super short skirts she used to wear with the knee high socks; used to be a total turn on for him. He expected she would have filled out a lot since then so he knew he would have to try and keep his foul compliments to himself. But it was more the fact that his life was so messed up right now, he didn't want _Rachel Berry_ seeing how much of a fuck up he was. The only girl in glee club who was probably taking on the world right now, she was possibly the most successful of all the glee club. They all talked the talk, but he knew how determined Rachel was, so she definitely would have walked the walk. He knew Quinn and Finn were married and living in Lima, no surprises there. They had a 2 year old son, Quinn working in real estate and Finn working in Burt's shop. He saw them occasionally, him and Finn weren't as close as they used to be in high school. He was pretty sure Brittany and Santana were still together in LA or something, but as for the rest? He had no fucking clue. And then it came full circle back to Rachel and the fact that a little _event _between them occurred after graduation. He had never told anyone, and he presumed Rachel wouldn't have either. And Puck _never_ talks about his feelings, so unless the situation came up, he wouldn't mention it.

He knew he probably should have cleaned up the place a little before Rachel arrived, but it was his apartment, his life. She could take it or leave it. And knowing how much time she was going to spend at the hospital, she wouldn't be around much anyway. He would be lying if he wasn't a little anxious to see her. She was the only one in high school who ever believed in him. She was the reason he got out of Lima in the first place. So when that quiet knock on the door came, he bolted, opening it up with his signature smirk on his face. The smirk turned into a questionable look as he saw Rachel, as sexy as hell, with a kid in her arms. _A kid_. Since when did Rachel Berry have a kid?

"Rachel." The words came out softly and rolled off his tongue as he stared at her and back down to the girl in her arms.

Rachel was shocked to find Noah Puckerman at the door of the apartment she would be staying in for who knows how long. What was Puck doing in Lima? The last she heard he was in LA. And she was holding her child, which by the look on her face he obviously had no idea about. She couldn't help but find this moment oh so uncomfortable.

"Noah? I… I'm staying with you? This must be a mistake! You're supposed to be in LA." Puck just rolled his eyes as he picked up her suitcase, taking it up to the spare bedroom as Rachel followed behind. "No mistake, babe. LA was… let's just say I needed a break." He sat on the edge of her bed, his legs sprawled apart as he looked up at her.

"You have a kid, Berry. Wow. How the fuck do you manage Broadway with her?" Rachel just looked at Puck as he asked her the question, biting her lip, not wanting to answer. She wasn't quite ready to tell Puck, the boy who threw slushies at her through high school, how much of a failure she was. So instead, she avoided it.

Sighing, she shifted the sleeping baby in her arms a little before answering. "Look, I really need to get to the hospital, Noah. Yes, I am a mother. Her name is Briella and she is a year old. I love her and I never regret having her. That's all you need to know right now." She was half way out the door as she continued to speak, Puck following her. "It's good to see you though, Noah. But, I…I didn't exactly expect to see you here so I wasn't mentally prepared for all of this. I have to go and see my father, but thank you for letting me stay. I won't be much bother and I'll be out of your hair as soon as I can." She nodded at him, smiling slightly at Puck before closing the door and getting back into the rental car. Puck was left standing behind the now shut door in shock at what had just gone down. Rachel Berry hadn't changed a bit. But a kid? Wow, that was going to take some time for him to process.

As Rachel drove down the street, she looked into the rear view mirror to see how once sleeping daughter was now wide awake. The brunette sighed, running her fingers through her thick hair, wavy hair. She couldn't believe she was staying with Noah Puckerman. She knew they would have to talk about what happened after graduation sometime, but for now, she didn't want to even bring it up. With all the drama with her dad and her family life, she needed to work on that before she started working on anything else. So for the time being, it was the hospital where she needed to be.

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><p><strong>Oooooh, what happened between Puckleberry after graduation? I want to see you guys give me guesses as to what happened between them! And as I said earlier, the next chapter will be much longer and it may take me a little longer to write up, depending how much time I have to write! <strong>

**Did I mention how much I LOVE reviews? Keep them coming my lovelies! **


	3. Hit Me With Your Best Shot

**And now the drama begins! I've planned out all the chapters now, so I'm excited for you guys to see what I have in store! I hope you like it!**

***Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or anything associated with it.***

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><p>The hospital trip had been even more gruelling and horrible than Rachel had expected. As soon as she had step foot into the room, she had burst into tears at the sight of her daddy laying lifeless on the hospital bed, wires and tubes attached from every part of his body. She quickly, without hesitation, handed over Briella to her dad as she ran to her daddy's side, grabbing onto his arm fast but vigilant not to hurt him. She was never going to be able to get the image out of her head of her daddy's unconscious body. Bandages were attached everywhere on his body, his arms and legs covered in dark purple bruises, cuts from what Rachel assumed were caused by shards of glass littered his face and neck. He was worse than she thought he was going to be. Her dad walked back towards her, sighing as he placed his free hand on her shoulder, rubbing it consolingly. The worst thing about the whole situation is that Rachel couldn't do a thing about it. She had to sit around and watch her father die. She couldn't do it. She couldn't sit here and watch that. So she muttered an 'I'm sorry' to her dad as she took her daughter from the grip of his arms and slowly but surely she got out of that hospital.<p>

It took all her strength to go into that hospital, and now she was even more broken than before she had entered and saw her daddy. She was heartbroken. Her life was a total and utter mess, and she couldn't fix it. And as she drove back to _his_ house, all she could think about was how she was going to face Puck. Could it really get any worse?

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><p>It once again took all her strength to walk into that apartment and face the man on the other side of the door. She knew he was home; his car was in the driveway and she could see the light gently shining through the half open window. All she could do was wipe away the tears, act like she was fine (which was clearly not the case) as she walked inside quietly, holding onto her daughter tightly like she was the only thing left in her life. As soon as Puck saw the brunette walk in the door, he could tell straight up that she wasn't okay. He wanted to help her, comfort her, do <em>something <em>that would make her feel better. But _fuck_, her father was dying, how could he possibly do anything to make her feel any better? He stood up from the couch, setting down his beer as he walked towards her. She just shot her hand up in front of him, held in the tears as she shook her head at him.

"Noah, don't. I… I can't do this right now. I'm a mess and my dad is dying and I can't do a thing. My daughter is probably wondering why on earth her mom is acting like this. She's too young to lose her grandfather." Rachel used one hand to cover her face as best she could, the tears flowing down the sides of her cheeks. "I'm too young to lose my father!"

Puck had to use all the power he had not to pull her into his arms, but he had to face it, they hadn't spoken to each other in six years. They were hardly friends in high school and everything that happened between them hadn't been resolved. But watching the once strong but now fragile girl standing there, trying to be as best of a mom she could in a time like this, he just wanted to help her. So he held his arms out to take the little girl. "May I?" Rachel just nodded, handing her over. He then muttered a 'sit' as he heard Rachel scoff a little before following his directions. Puck had a lot of practice babysitting his sister when he was younger, so holding Rachel's daughter came pretty natural to him. He sat down next to her, positioning Briella comfortably on his lap.

"Rach. I… I know that no matter what I say to you, nothing is going to make you feel better. I get it, okay? Your dad is dying. And I'm not gonna lie, when Ma told me you were staying with me, I flipped. I mean, fuck you're annoying, and…" he looked over to Rachel's face and realized the crying hadn't stopped, and that his words were probably just making her feel a whole lot worse. "Fuck… I didn't mean that. I suck at words. I guess I just wanted to say I'm here for you, 'kay? Anything you need just let me know." She just nodded at him as the diva leaned in to kiss her daughters forehead. "You go get some rest. I can take care of this little pumpkin." Rachel looked a little concerned, but agreed in the end. "We'll be fine, won't we?" He tickled the one year old, her giggles reminding him of Rachel. He noticed she was almost a copy of Rachel, apart from the couple features she obviously got from her dad. He watched Rachel disappear upstairs, leaving him and Briella to get acquainted.

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><p>Puck didn't exactly have anywhere to be the next morning, so he got up at a casual speed, before making his way downstairs to the kitchen. And besides, he wasn't going to deny that he wanted to see Rachel. She had filled out in all the right places, and her boobs were double the size he remembered them to be. No doubt that was thanks to having a child. So at first, it may have been a bit of a burden to have her staying here, but he actually didn't mind the company. It was good having something to look at, as well. He was definitely starting to change his opinion on Rachel Berry, or maybe he'd just been hiding his true feelings about the girl all along. He found Rachel sitting at the dining table, drinking a mug of coffee as she stared out the window. He smirked as he poured himself a mug and joined her. No surprises that she was the one to start the conversation.<p>

"I'm sorry about last night." She held the mug between her two hands, fiddling with the handle. "Yesterday was just… really hard. But thank you for looking after Bri. I didn't exactly get much sleep, but it was good to have a night off." Rachel realized she hadn't really ever had a break from being a mother. Once she found out she was pregnant, they moved and she never even got a job. She couldn't leave her baby. If Caleb wasn't going to be a parent, she had to work twice as hard to raise her. As she grew up, a job just never came up. She was basically looking after this little girl 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

"No need to thank me, Berry. She's a good kid; I just wanted to help ya out. And anyway, what's this whole deal with having a night off? Doesn't she go to day care or something?" He shrugged, gulping down his coffee.

She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm a full time mom. It's hard but I wouldn't change a thing. She's my whole world."

"What happened, Rach?" Puck felt concerned for her. Was she overdoing herself, giving up her dream for a family? "Who's the father?"

She knew she had to tell him sometime. The weird thing was that she trusted him. She felt like she could tell him. She _needed _to tell someone. Even her fathers didn't know about how much she resented everything about her life but her daughter. She took one last sip of coffee before looking up at Puck. "I met him at NYADA. The truth is I never made it to Broadway. I'm not the only Rachel Berry in New York. I wasn't as talented as I thought I was. I found that out the hard way. So I kept my head held high and got accepted into college, and before I knew it I was married and pregnant. I was in love with him. I was young and foolish at the time and I wasn't doing so well. We moved to North Carolina and it all went downhill from there."

Puck cringed a little at the idea of Rachel Berry being married. She was supposed to be on Broadway, she was supposed to be successful, famous, a household name. Someone people could look up to. But this guy had ruined it all, and it kinda pissed Puck right off. "So… what's the situation with him now?"

Rachel didn't want to tell him all the details, so she decided to leave a few things out. "We're still married. He works and I'm a mom. Long story short, he wasn't exactly made to be a father. I feel like a single mom, sometimes." Just as she finished, she heard her cue to leave, Briella was crying and as she checked the time, she had expected her to wake up soon. As she stood up, Puck stood as well, following her upstairs.

"Fuck Rachel, you can't live like that! He seems like a total douche that made you give up your life, for what? For a whole fucking less than you're made for? The Rachel I knew was determined and wouldn't let any guy get in her way."

Rachel turned around, pissed at Puck and his big mouth. "Noah, I told you this because I needed to get it out. I don't want you opinions." She moved back into the bedroom, picking up the girl, rocking her back and forth to soothe her.

"Well you're going to get them. New York was your big break, how could you give it up so easily? Shit, you gave up Finn for fucking Broadway. You and Finn were fucking inseparable in high school. And now you're giving it all up?"

"Mind your language, Noah!" At this point, Rachel was not only pissed, but she was upset. How could he be saying these things? He had no right after all these years to start judging her. "Noah Puckerman, you don't know me!" Her screaming upset Briella in her arms as she whinged a little more, Rachel hushing her. "You know what, _Puck_? I don't exactly see you out of this town. The last I heard you were in LA, what exactly happened to that? Do you think it was easy to give it up? It was awfully hard, but I did it for my daughter. I regret every day leaving New York, that maybe if I had tried a little harder I would have made it." She laid the baby on the bed as she moved towards Puck, a tear falling down the side of her cheek. She just wiped it away quickly, getting angry once again. "I didn't come here to be criticised, if you had forgotten; I came back because my daddy is dying. I guess you're just the same asshole you were in high school!"

Puck rarely heard Rachel swear, and it kind of turned him on. But he pushed away that feeling, the anger taking over every other feeling in his body. "Fine. If you want to throw away your whole fucking life for a guy, then go right ahead. I won't be fucking here when he breaks up with you and you realize that maybe I was right all along."

"You will _never _be right, Puck. So shut your mouth and get out!"

She slammed the door in his face. Moving back to the bed as the tears poured down her face, she picked up her baby and held her tight as she lay down.

Puck felt like a total asshole after the conversation he had just finished with Rachel. But at the same time, he hoped his words might hit her hard and make her realize the mistakes she was making. She had left behind a whole world she had yet to discover; a part of herself she had always believed in, but now was just a distant memory. He knew there was no use trying to talk to her again, he knew he should apologise, but in all honesty, someone had to break it down for her. She was throwing away her life, and that's all there was to it. He wasn't about to apologise for being honest. So he figured he would sleep it off, if she was ready to talk to him in the morning, she would. It was Rachel Berry he was talking about, she would talk at any chance she got. But once he laid down in complete silence, all he could hear through the thin ass walls was her sobbing. Why the fuck did he agree to her staying here? He laid there for what seemed like hours, and that's all he could hear. And it wasn't even the damn baby, it was Rachel. It kinda made him feel like a big jerk. But if he was to go into her room, she would expect an apology which was definitely not coming from him anytime soon. He was taking a stand. She needed to realize she wasn't always right, and sometimes she needed to listen to other people.

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><p>The next morning was awkward to say the least. Neither of the two spoke a word to each other, both avoiding each other's glances and just dodging each other altogether. They were both too stubborn for their own good to be the bigger person. Rachel thought Puck had no right to say those things to her last night, it was her life and what she did with it wasn't of any concern to him. On the other hand, Puck thought he was doing the right thing; someone had to stand up for her future. He knew she could do <em>anything<em> she put her mind to, but she just didn't seem to realize that. Both had their typical reasons, and neither were wrong, but both were determined to be right.

Puck had also noticed Rachel hadn't been back to the hospital since the first night. Didn't she want to spend her time with her father, knowing he didn't exactly have much time left? Puck was really thrown at the fact she was spending all her time cooped up in her room, only coming out to eat, shower or cater to her daughter's needs. And Rachel realized this; she knew she had to get not only herself, but Briella out of the house. So she grabbed the baby's pram and popped her in, buckling her up before tickling her sides slightly, making the girl smile and giggle. She heard footsteps coming downstairs, and as she turned around, she sighed.

"Where ya going?" Puck asked her curiously, his hands in his pockets as he slightly slouched.

The eye roll from Rachel didn't go unnoticed by Puck. He was finally talking to her, and that's what he said? She wasn't going to dwell on it; instead she would just reply casually and leave. "To the park."

Hearing Rachel was going to the park made Puck flinch a little, but he shrugged it off and pretended it meant nothing to him, just nodding back at her before walking back the way he came from. She quickly walked out the door and headed to the left, up the street and onto the road leading to the park.

The park had so many memories for Rachel. She remembered the night after graduation quite clearly, placing Briella on her lap as the brunette sat on the same swing she sat on all those years ago, she couldn't help but let her mind wander back to the past.

_The full moon was brightly shining down on the pavement, leaving a glow from the rain that had fallen only hours earlier. Rachel swung on the swing slowly in the dark; the moon and a lamp post her only form of light. She saw his figure approach; his Mohawk was a giveaway to who it was. He sat on the swing next to her and started to swing back and forth, his feet still touching the ground._

"_You know, staying out this late isn't gonna do ya any good." He sighed to her, not once looking over at Rachel._

_She just shook her head, looking down as she kicked the pavement. "It's over. I broke up with him tonight." Puck knew exactly what she was talking about, yet he really didn't think she would have gone through with it. He recalled her telling him some time ago that she and Finn would only last till graduation; he really didn't believe her. It was Finchel for fucks sake, everybody__** loved**__ them together. He just didn't see what was so special about them together. Finn was a total jerk to Rachel, always having to choose between her and Quinn. Rachel didn't deserve that. So to hear those words leave her mouth was a huge relief for Puck. _

_He just shrugged. "Good for you. Rach, Finn isn't meant to New York. You are. You can't give up your future for a high school fling."_

"_If only it were that easy."_

"_It is, Rachel. Believe in yourself, because you are fucking amazing. God, there is going to be a guy out there for you in New York… or even here. But it's not Finn, it can't be. He's not the guy for you, Rachel Berry." He stood up, walked towards her and pulled her off the swing and into his arms, holding her tight. Little did Rachel know the hug was only the start of the night with Noah Puckerman._

Swinging back and forth, she couldn't believe how she could remember the minor details of that night. Why did she have to come to Lima? She wished she could pretend this never happened and go back to her horrible life in Charlotte. Anything was better than feeling this miserable right now. She just wanted it all to end, go back to normal, no matter how awful her life was back in North Carolina.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think and I'll update soon! <strong>


	4. Get It Right

**FINALLY I HAVE UPDATED! Yay! I've had the majority of it written for days now, but only tonight have I really had the energy to write. And I'm quite happy with the outcome! It's kind of a drabble chapter, nothing really major happening. The upcoming chapters will be much more eventful with much more Puckleberry, I promise! So here you have it, chapter four!**

***Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything associated with it.***

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><p>Nothing had changed in the Puckerman apartment since that night. Both the adults had still been avoiding each other, speaking a couple of words to each other at the most each day. Not only that, but Rachel hadn't been back to that hospital. She felt like such a horrible daughter, but she didn't want to see her daddy slowly fade away, it's something a person should never have to go through. So for now, she couldn't do it. She locked herself away in the guest room of Puck's apartment, taking Briella out occasionally. She would constantly get phone calls from her dad, but she didn't answer any of them. She couldn't. She didn't want to have to hear the hurt in his voice, the begging to come back.<p>

On this beautiful and sunny day, Rachel woke up feeling worse than the day before. It seemed to be becoming a pattern; she would go to bed the night before and wake up the next morning feeling a whole lot crappier. She honestly didn't think it could get any worse, but every day the feeling was outdone. She knew the main reason was her father lying in that hospital bed, while she was too scared to go visit him. She knew the only other reason could be because of Puck, even though she was denying it. His words had really given her something to think about. Was she really throwing away her life? She wanted New York, she _missed_ New York. It was supposed to be her home. But she had to put motherhood first, and if that meant missing out on New York, she had to do it. She would do anything for her daughter. And at the moment she was hurting. Of course she denied it to anyone who asked how she was, so instead of dealing with the feeling, she pushed it away and put all her energy and time into her daughter.

On the other hand, Puck was using music as a way to escape from the girl in the next room. The girl who he wished would realize the mistakes she was making. For what, her family to be together? Sure, it was important for Briella to have a father in her life, but from what Rachel told him, their family was nothing but dysfunctional. If anything, that baby would do a whole lot better with a happy mom and a dad she saw occasionally, rather than live in a home with constant fighting and a sad Rachel. He couldn't comprehend how she didn't understand his point of view. So while he tried his best to avoid the diva, it was a little difficult considering she was staying in his apartment. So he tended to spend most of his time in his bedroom, writing and composing music and lyrics on his guitar. It was something he had never given up since high school, and he definitely wasn't planning on it. He played gigs around Lima, getting his income from what he loved doing. Although it just didn't seem right anymore, knowing Rachel had given it all up. He didn't want to stay in Lima forever, but until he got a decent amount of cash, he wasn't going anywhere. And he couldn't very well kick Rachel out. Shit, he wasn't that heartless. So he would just have to put up with her. It was already half way through the week; she would be gone soon enough.

Puck happened to have a gig on that lunch time, so Rachel had the apartment to herself. She ignored the fact that she was _still _at his house and _still _hadn't been to visit her father since the first day. She sat Briella on a play mat in front of the TV, before turning on an educational DVD she had brought with her. She wasn't about to let her one year old watch anything that could leave her with a bad childhood. She had just begun looking through the fridge for something at least half decent to eat when she heard the knock on the front door. Clueless as to whom it could actually be, she bit her lip, walking to the door, noticing Briella had started to follow her. She had just started walking, much to Rachel's dismay, so it was a constant hardship trying to get her to stay in the one place. Sighing, Rachel let the little girl follow her mother to the door, and who Rachel found on the other side of the door was a total shock.

Quinn Fabray.

She hadn't seen the girl since high school, and she clearly hadn't changed a bit. With the same long, blonde hair, skinny figure and flawless smile, she was the picture perfect image of a small-town housewife.

"Rachel Berry, you're the last person I expected to find in Lima. And at Puckerman's apartment? Wow." Rachel knew what the blonde was implying, and a scoff escaped her mouth as the brunette glared at Quinn. "Kidding, Rachel. I heard about your father. I'm sorry." There was an awkward silence for a couple of seconds, before it was once again broken by the blonde. "Is Puck home by any chance?"

Rachel was quick to reply. "Uh, no sorry. I don't actually know where he is. Did you want to come in?" Rachel thought she and Quinn deserved a fresh start, and she was glad when the other girl agreed. "Rachel, you look like you haven't left the house in days. You need to get out, how about we go for a coffee?"

She was actually quick to agree to coffee, even though she had never been close to Quinn. The truth was Rachel missed having friends. In New York and Charlotte she had been too busy with work and motherhood to even consider going out and finding some solid friends she could rely on.

"Sure, why not?" A sigh escaped Rachel's mouth as she heard the whinging of her daughter at her feet. She bent down to pick her up, before realizing Quinn probably had no idea she had a daughter. "This is Briella, my daughter."

Quinn just nodded, smiling sweetly. "I know, honey. Finn told me. He's been trying to make an effort with Puck and I guess the subject of you came up." There was a couple of seconds of silence, the two both looking at the girl in Rachel's arms. "She can come, its fine. I have a little two year old, Ben. I have to pick him up from the sitter in about half an hour so we can do that on the way?"

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><p>When they arrived at the babysitter's house, Quinn was quick to bring Ben back out to the car. Rachel looked back at Briella in the back seat, her eyes barely staying open. She stroked the girls belly gently, putting her right to sleep. When Rachel saw Ben, she saw so much of Quinn and Finn in him. He had Quinn's blonde hair and Finn's figure. His smile was bright like the both of them. The drive to the Lima Bean was enjoyable; the two of them chatting like two old friends. Rachel was looking forward to getting to know Quinn more. She had changed since high school; she wasn't the same blonde cheerleader she used to be. She looked the same, but her attitude was much different. She had grown up and matured. So the getting to know each other started over coffee. Quinn sat Ben on a chair next to hers, and let him do some colouring in, while Rachel sat opposite Quinn with Briella in her lap.<p>

"So are you going to update me as to why you and Puckerman aren't talking? Finn told me that you two are giving each other the silent treatment, according to Puck." Rachel didn't know how to reply to Quinn's question. She tapped the sides of her coffee cup as she wracked her brain, trying to figure out what to say to Quinn.

In the end, she just shrugged, acted like it was no big deal. "He said some… things, which he had no right to say. I have nothing else to say to him."

Quinn knew Rachel wasn't telling her everything, but she wasn't going to pry any longer. So she just changed the subject and moved on. "So how's your father?" Quinn asked sympathetically.

"I'm not too sure, actually. I… I haven't visited him since the first day. I can't, Quinn. It's much too hard. He's lying there dying and I can't do a thing about it. I know nothing." At that point, tears were flowing down Rachel's face. Quinn just put a comforting hand onto Rachel's.

"You need to go see him. If you don't, you'll regret it. Trust me."

"I can't. Can we please change the subject?" Rachel tried to hide her sadness, wiping away the tears from her eyes.

Reluctantly, Quinn agreed. "So… where's your husband?"

Great, another subject Rachel really didn't want to talk about. Quinn was on a roll today. What was she supposed to say? The husband who she rarely even talked to was back at home and hadn't called her since she left? That would make her family sound so together. But reality was they were falling apart. She felt like she could tell Quinn, but then again, it didn't go so well with Puck. So she decided to just avoid the topic all together; make up some believable excuse and move on.

"He's back home. He had to work." Rachel shrugged, passing off the feeling of regret when it came to Caleb. "The coffee here is still so good. I guess the barrister is still the same."

Quinn just rolled her eyes as she moved on. She knew there was more to it; in fact, she knew all about Rachel and her husband. Puck clearly trusted Finn, who trusted Quinn to keep a secret. Puck confided in Finn; and Finn clearly couldn't keep a secret from his wife, right? But Quinn wasn't going to mention it; she knew Rachel was changing the subject and she let her. Besides, she was going through a lot right now and probably didn't need to be thinking about her problems 24/7. So Quinn and Rachel talked about things normal girls talked about: shopping, clothes, jobs, singing, and memories of high school. Rachel thought it was great to have someone to talk to. Unfortunately, she had to go back to Puck's apartment much too soon. She let Quinn take her home, and Rachel noticed Puck's truck wasn't in the driveway. She looked around inside, and no sign of Puck. She just passed it off and assumed he was out with friends somewhere, and soon forgot about his absence as she made dinner for herself and Briella.

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><p>Puck clearly wasn't off with his friends. Instead he had taken a detour on his way home from the gig and had ended up at the hospital. He hadn't really planned on it; but if Rachel wasn't going to visit her father, he had to figure out a way to convince her to. Sure, he was avoiding her, but it didn't mean he didn't care about her. He cared about that drama queen like crazy, although he would never admit it. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he walked into the entrance, his figure slouched and his feet dragging. He hated hospitals. They only reminded him of the daughter he would never have. He managed to make it to reception, looking up from the ground at the receptionist who looked like she hadn't had enough sleep. He really didn't want to deal with any crap today, and he kinda figured he was about it.<p>

"Can you tell me where Laurence Berry's room is?" He asked as he waited impatiently for her reply. The receptionist managed to bring herself to look up from her magazine to check the computer.

"Sorry, but it's family only." Puck rolled his eyes at her reply. She was clearly giving him the look over.

He ran his fingers over his head as he thought of a reply. But he really wasn't expecting the words he thought to actually come out of his mouth. "He's my father in law." The receptionist raised an eyebrow, obviously doubting him. "For fucks sake, my wife refuses to come watch her father die, so someone has to." Finally she agreed to show him to the room, and he obviously wasn't expecting for Laurence Berry to be so… lifeless. He gulped, obviously now realizing why Rachel didn't want to visit. His footsteps woke a sleeping Eugene Berry from his nap.

"Noah. How… how did you get in?" He was still in a daze as he stood up from the chair, walked towards Puck.

Puck just shrugged. "If anyone asks, you're my father in law." A small chuckle escaped Eugene's mouth. He just nodded, inviting Puck to take a seat next to his. They both sat down, Puck unsure of what to say. He was glad when Eugene started the conversation. "How's my Rachel? She hasn't been answering my calls, and she hasn't come back. I'm really worried about her, but I can't… I can't leave him." He gestured to Laurence Berry. "I know she'll regret it if she doesn't come now."

Puck let out a sigh. "We aren't really talking, I guess. But I know she's hurting. She spends the majority of her time in her room. I… I don't know how to get through to her. Fuck, I tried getting through to her and now she's pissed at me." Puck could see the emotion in Eugene's face. He just wanted his daughter to be with him through this tough time, and she wasn't. Puck knew he had to figure out a way to get through to Rachel.

"I just wish she was here. But thank you for coming, Noah. It means a lot to have someone else here." Eugene sighed, placing his hand back on his husbands arm.

Puck sat in silence, just looking at Rachel's father lying on the hospital bed, attached to cords and wires all over his body. He knew just being there was helping Eugene cope through this difficult time. He didn't have anyone else but Rachel, so why couldn't she see how much this was hurting both of her fathers? At that point, Puck knew he had to do something, anything to get Rachel to realize the mistake she was making. It wasn't a matter of whether Laurence was going to survive or not; he was going to die. It was hard to come to terms with, but it was the truth. And Rachel needed to realize if she didn't spend his last days with him, she would feel guilty for it the rest of her life.

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><p><strong>Remember to favourite and review! <strong>

**Did I mention how much I LOVE reviews? They make me more determined to write. So yeah, you really should review. :)**


	5. Hello, I Love You

**And here is the next chapteeeeer! A couple of days between them is pretty good for me! I actually really love this chapter, and I hope you guys love it too! Singing is in bold and italics and flashbacks are in italics. The flashbacks lead on from the one in chapter three! So enjoy!**

***Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything associated with it.***

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><p>Puck happened to have a gig on the day after visiting Rachel's father in the hospital, so he hadn't exactly had any time to talk to Rachel. He had decided he would be the bigger person and talk to her; she was stubborn and he knew she wouldn't be the first to give in, so it left him with no other choice. He wasn't about to back down from his opinion, but he was going to try and talk to her and work out their differences. He needed to figure out a way to get through to the stubborn Rachel Berry. It made him sick knowing that wasn't even her name anymore. She had never even bothered to correct him when he called her Berry; he didn't even know her actual last name. It showed just how committed she was to the marriage, right? It didn't matter anyway; there was no convincing her of anything.<p>

So he just tried to forget about Rachel and the drama, and focus on the gig awaiting him. He tended to play at the same spot in Lima; it's not like Lima was full of bars. So he would always go back to the same place, and the owner would swoon all over him, and he always got gigs easily. She was always telling him how handsome and talented he was; like he didn't already know. But whatever, it got him gigs so he wasn't going to complain. It happened to be a quiet day in the bar when he arrived, and most of the people there were regulars who all knew him. So once he had chatted to a couple of people, he set up his equipment and he was ready to perform. Singing came naturally to him; the words just came out and he played his guitar so easily. Singing was basically his world. He usually tried to keep his set-list varied, so the audience wouldn't get bored, but there was one song he always managed to find a place for, and that day was no exception.

_**Where it began, I can't begin to knowing  
>But then I know it's growing strong<br>was in the spring,  
>And spring became the summer<br>Who'd believe you'd come along.**_

As Rachel walked into the bar, she heard the very familiar tune and lyrics to one of the songs that would always have a place in her heart. She knew his voice, she hadn't heard it in years and she didn't realize how much she had actually missed it. And then she saw his face, and that day in glee club came right back to her like it was yesterday. She didn't take notice of anyone else as she walked right to the front of the stage, sitting at a free table. It wasn't until she sat down that Puck glanced up and saw her. How did she know he was here? And more importantly, why was she here? The last he knew she was super pissed at him, so why exactly was she here?

_**Hands, touching hands, reaching out  
>Touching me, touching you<br>Oh, sweet Caroline  
>Good times never seem so good<br>I've been inclined to believe it never would.**_

He couldn't take his eyes off her. He didn't know if it was the fact she looked super-hot in that red dress she had on that just flowed from her body, or that the song meant something to the both of them, but either way, he felt an attraction to her. But he couldn't think of her that way, she was married with a kid. But it was _Rachel_. He felt like he had had feelings for her since _that night_.

Rachel couldn't help but notice Puck looking at her ever since he realized she was here. It brought back memories of high school with him, of the night after graduation and everything that had happened between them. They had so much history, and they had only dated for a week. She found it totally crazy.

_**Oh, sweet Caroline  
>Good times never seem so good<br>I've been inclined to believe it never would oooh oh no no..**_

As soon as the song finished, he pulled off his guitar and set it down, before jumping off the stage and towards Rachel. She was surprised he was actually coming over to her; they hadn't talked for days. "Can we talk?" Puck asked Rachel as she nodded quickly, before taking his arm and pulling him outside. They found a park bench not too far away, and Rachel was the first to talk.

"I can't do this anymore. The whole us not talking. I still believe what you said to me was totally out of line, but you are entitled to your own opinion, as I am as well. So can we just get past this? I need a friend right about now and I really want it to be you helping me through it all."

Puck was surprised that Rachel was the first to give in. But she _did _talk a whole lot so not talking to him would have been very difficult. Puck just shrugged at her. "Yeah. I'm not going to apologise for what I said, just so you know." He was surprised when Rachel just nodded and pulled him in for a hug. The feeling was vaguely familiar to that night after graduation.

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><p><em>As Puck held Rachel in his arms at the park, he couldn't help but think back to the week they had dated. He had lied to her on the bleachers; he wasn't going to break up with her. She had actually been a pretty cool girlfriend. But it was too late for regrets now, she was leaving and he wasn't going with her. He couldn't make it messy for her, she deserved New York.<em>

_He was the first to pull away from the hug, much to his surprise. Rachel still looked upset, and he hated seeing her like this; especially over Finn. "Come on, Rach. Cheer up, this is a good thing. You knew Finn wasn't ready for New York." She just shrugged. Puck honestly had no idea what to do. He wasn't about to just leave her here like this. "How about you come back to my place? We can just chill, ya know? I can teach you how to play xbox?" Rachel giggled at Puck, before agreeing. She just needed to get her mind off Finn, and this was the perfect chance._

_Back at Puck's house, he brought Rachel up to his room, throwing clothes and bits and pieces around to clear the room. This was a clean room for him, but he knew Rachel would probably be a little grossed out by it. But she just laid down on his bed and seemed pretty content. He just sat on the bed next to her, moved some hair from her face and smoothed it behind her ear. _

"_I know it sucks now Rach, but it'll be okay. You gotta have faith." Puck moved his hand from her head down to her leg, rubbing it softly. "You want to stay here the night?"_

_Rachel nodded. She took his hand from her leg, and at first Puck thought it was because she was uncomfortable with it, but instead she pulled him closer to her. "Can you just… hold me? I don't want to be alone tonight and I know I can count on you."_

_Without hesitation or a second thought, Puck laid down next to her, pulling her close until she was rested in his arms. He always seemed to be the one comforting her after a break up with Finn, but he could get used to this; just laying here with Rachel in his arms._

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><p>He didn't even realize how long they had been hugging until Rachel pulled away. She could tell something was going on in that head of his, and the look on her face showed it.<p>

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, her hand still rested on his arm.

Puck nodded. "Fine. I, ugh… gotta get back." And with that, Puck was off as fast as he could back to the bar. He had feelings for Rachel Berry.

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><p>Puck finished up with his gig pretty quickly, considering he had something totally different on his mind. He took his time getting home though; he really didn't want to face Rachel, but considering she was currently living with him, he knew that would be quite difficult. And he didn't want to deal with any questions of what happened between them earlier, but he kind of figured they would come eventually. But he would just have to man up and deal with it.<p>

Walking into his apartment had never been more intimidating. He was waiting for Rachel to pounce at him and ask a whole bunch of questions he didn't want to answer, but instead, he opened the door to hear voices talking. He slowly and silently, making as less noise as he could, he followed the sound to the kitchen, pausing at the door so he was out of sight. The voices he had heard were Rachel and Eugene Berry. He couldn't hear any yelling, which was a plus. But was that Rachel crying? He knew it was wrong to listen in to their conversation, but he was Noah Puckerman. What did he ever do that wasn't wrong? And besides, he would only listen for a minute or two.

In the kitchen, Rachel was bawling her eyes out. The tears just kept coming, no matter how much she wiped them away. She didn't know if it was the fact she felt like a horrible daughter or just that her daddy was dying. Either way, she was a mess.

"Dad, I can't go back. I'm sorry. I know I'm a horrible daughter and I know that he doesn't have much time left. But do you expect me to want to watch him die? I can't do it." The brunette sobbed.

Her father just sighed, trying to hold back his own tears. "Rachel Barbra, you are not a horrible daughter. I just wish… I wish you could be there for us. I don't want you to regret not getting to spend those last moments with him."

At that point Rachel stood up, a little angry and upset. "Dad, he's in a coma! He isn't even talking! What kind of last moments are they? Me sitting there watching my father, who will never speak or walk or hug me ever again, slowly fade away?"

"Rachel, please understand…"

"I can't. I won't. You need to understand and come to terms with the fact I am not going back to that hospital."

Puck couldn't listen anymore. Rachel was persistent, and wasn't giving in. And he had to figure out a way to convince her to visit her father. It wasn't a matter of trying, he _had _to. But he didn't want to hurt her feelings; he didn't want her to feel like everyone was against her. But if she didn't realize soon, she would end up living her whole life regretting not visiting him just once last time. Puck knew the feeling of regret. He knew it quite well, especially when it came to regrets of his relationship (or lack of) with Rachel. He should have fought for her that night; not let her leave the next morning, or even went with her to New York. Because if there was one thing he was sure of that night with Rachel was his feelings for her. And to be honest, they had never fully gone away. They had faded at times thanks to his ex-girlfriend and the other women he slept around with, but they were always going to be there, no matter how many other women he got involved with. He wanted her. But she was married, and she didn't look like she was planning on ending that marriage anytime soon, no matter how much Puck thought the guy was a douche just by the way she talked about him. Rachel wanted her family to be together, she wanted to make her relationship work. It reminded Puck of her relationship with Finn. To him, it was based on fighting, breaking up and just wanting to be with someone so Rachel wasn't alone. They weren't a healthy relationship, and he knew how long it took for those two to finally break up for good. But Rachel couldn't see a bad relationship until everything finally came crashing down around her.

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><p>"<em>Finn proposed to me tonight." Rachel didn't know why those words had come out. She had vowed to never tell anyone about it, but with Puck, just being here in his arms, it felt like she could trust him. But by the look on his face, he was totally shocked.<em>

_Puck sat up on the bed, pulling Rachel with him so he was still holding onto her. "…For real? Wait… what did you say?"_

"_I told him no, of course." She sighed, rubbing her eyes a little. "I'm eighteen. I'm hardly ready for marriage. And we both want different things, you know? He wants to stay in Lima, and he wanted that for me as well. That's when I realized, he doesn't actually care about what I want. He's only concerned about himself and his wellbeing. I was the only good thing in his life, and he wanted to be selfish and marry me. I want New York. And Finn… Finn was just dragging me down the whole time. He was proposing for himself, without even considering the implications it could have on me."_

_Puck didn't know what to say. Why the hell would Finn propose to Rachel? He knew how much she talked about New York and Broadway from the minute they had met. Rachel wasn't meant for Lima. She was going to do great things. "You made the right choice, y'know. Marrying Finn would have been fucked up… no offence." He managed to get a small giggle from the girl._

"_I know. Thanks." As Rachel said the words, Puck raised an eyebrow, as if to wonder why she was thanking him. "For being there for me tonight. And… for this." And with that, she leaned in and kissed his lips softly, her body moving so she was pushed up right against his body. She didn't know why, but kissing Puck __**always**__ felt right, no matter what the circumstances. But this time, there was no one stopping them. _

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><p>He wished he could kiss her lips, just one last time. To taste the strawberry lip gloss she <em>always <em>used to wear. To be able to hold her in his arms, comfort her. He could still hear them talking, and he was glad to hear that Rachel seemed to have stopped crying. So with that, he walked into the lounge room, to see Briella cooing and talking to herself in gibberish in her play pen. Puck could only laugh at the adorable girl. He walked over and picked her up carefully, before positioning her in his arms so she was comfortable.

"Hey pretty girl. You wanna go for a walk?" The baby just spluttered a little, giggling as she touched Puck's nose. "I guess that's a yes." He chuckled, walking back to the kitchen to let them know he was taking Briella for a walk. Rachel was quick to agree; he could see she was absolutely exhausted and just needed a break from everything. And besides, he was happy to do her a favour. So he first gathered everything he would need (if he was taking a baby out, he wanted to be prepared for _anything_) and put it all in Rachel's baby bag. He even grabbed a little snack and drink for Briella. The park was only close to his apartment, so he figured he wouldn't need a pram. He just carried her in his arms, talking to her along the way as she giggled and blubbered to him. It seemed she had taken quite a liking to Puck, and he was glad for that. Once he got to the park, he spotted a shady spot under a tree. He thought it would be the perfect spot to set up a blanket and let the little girl just have a little sunlight without getting too hot. So he set her and the bag down, and she stood in the one spot next to the bag as she waited for Puck to lay down the blanket. He was the first to sit down on it, and as he did, Briella basically jumped into his arms. He chuckled, tickling the girl as he sat her in his lap and got out a biscuit for her to munch on.

"You want to know something, baby girl? I kinda like your momma. But you can't tell her, okay? 'Cause she has your daddy, but I could be a so much better daddy to you. I would play with you and you could watch sport with me. You would love that, wouldn't you?" He sat there for a couple of minutes, letting the girl eat her biscuit as he talked to her. He felt like the baby whisperer right there.

As he grabbed Briella's drink out of the bag, the little girl looked up from the last of her biscuit and pointed to him, mumbling what was almost exactly 'Puck.' He tickled her again as she giggled hysterically. "Yeah, I'm Puck! Good work Bri." He put her hand up to high five it, which only made her giggle even more. "You're totally crazy kid, you know that?"

"She gets that from her mom." Puck knew that voice from anywhere. He turned around to see Rachel standing behind them. She hesitantly smiled through the sadness in her face. Puck immediately stood up with Briella in his arms and hugged Rachel tightly with his free arm. "You okay?" Rachel shook her head sideways.

"Not really. Can we not talk about it?" Puck nodded as he pulled away, inviting her to sit down with him and Briella.

"You wanna go and give you mommy a big hug?" He passed Briella to Rachel as they both sat down, and the baby wrapped her arms around Rachel's neck. Puck just laughed as Rachel awed at the girl. "She's a good kid. I can see she's very much like you." Puck added.

"I'm kind of glad for that. That she didn't get much from her father. I love having a daughter that's the picture perfect image of me." Rachel positioned Briella so she was in her lap, stroking her hair as she held the girl close. "Thank you. For taking her. You're really good with her. Why can't you move to Charlotte and help me?" She laughed, before sighing a little.

Puck just shrugged. "You know I would do anything for you Rachel, right?" She just nodded. He was glad she knew that he would always be here for her.

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><p><strong>And there you have it! I had to include the proposal with Finn, it kinda felt right from the latest episode of Glee and my yearning for Rachel to say no to Finn's proposal. So it wasn't at all planned for the story until yesterday. I know you guys will LOVE the next one, which should be up over the weekend sometime. <strong>

**Remember to favourite and review! :)**


	6. Never Can Say Goodbye

**It's been a while, I know! I've had writers block so I've been trying to finish this chapter since I uploaded chapter five. But after all that, here it is, the chapter you have all been waiting for! The longest chapter so far as well, I do believe!**

***I do not own Glee or anything associated with it.***

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><p>Rachel had been doing a lot of thinking. She had been thinking about two things in particular. One, her father that was laying in the hospital bed dying who she refused to see, and two, the guy who was in the next room to her, playing his guitar, unaware the sound through the walls was making Rachel go crazy. She would be lying if she hadn't been going over their night together after graduation over and over in her head for the last couple of days. It was making her go almost insane. She needed to figure out what it all meant. It wasn't something she could just move on from; she needed closure, and the only person she was going to get that from was Puck. But did he want to talk about it? She knew he wasn't big on feelings, so pushing him to talk about them could turn out for the worst. And they had just started talking again. It had been hard to ignore him; she couldn't do it again. So was talking about it worth the risk? She knew this was something she really had to consider before talking to him. She couldn't just walk up to him and lay it all out on the line for him, how she felt about the night and question how he felt. It wasn't right to bombard him after all these years. But that was who she was, she was selfish and manipulative and she had to talk to him. She wasn't one to just pass off a situation like it means nothing. That night was a big deal for her, and she hoped Puck felt the same.<p>

_The two of them were both trying to figure out how they actually got into this situation. When Puck invited Rachel over, he hadn't expected to kiss her, let alone have sex with her. Yet here they were, both naked, sprawled out on Puck's bed as they caught their breath. Puck would never say no to sex, especially when it involved Rachel Berry. She was the last person he expected to do this with. She hadn't taken a second look at Puck all through high school thanks to a certain Finn Hudson she had almost been obsessed with, yet here they were. And he sure as hell didn't regret that this is how the night turned out. What was weird though was that neither of them had to speak to know what the other was feeling. Rachel just lay in Puck's arms as he held her under the blankets, her head rested in the crook of his neck. The both of them fell to sleep eventually, and they didn't move from their positions until the morning, when the sunlight started to shine through Puck's window. Rachel had to do a double take of where she was, and that's when she remembered the night before. She didn't know what to feel about it anymore. Last night she was happy, regret free. Now she just had to keep reminding herself that she had to go to New York. It was where she belonged, and she couldn't let a boy get in the way of her dreams. That's exactly the reason she broke up with Finn, so why would she just repeat the pattern she was in?_

_She wanted to get out of Puck's house before he got up, so she carefully removed herself from his arms, looking around the room for her clothes, eventually she had everything on but her shirt. She searched the room, and realized it was under Puck's body. _

"_Great, just what I need." She mumbled to herself as she tried to pull it from under him without waking him up. She didn't even manage to get it out before Puck pulled her on top of him, a small scream coming from Rachel's mouth. _

"_Good morning, beautiful. Going somewhere?" Puck hoped he hadn't done anything to upset her. He knew exactly what she was doing. Puck had mastered the art of sneaking out after you fell asleep the night before. He hardly ever let it happen with his one night stands, but he knew exactly what Rachel's game was._

_Rachel sighed, trying to wiggle out of Puck's arms, but his grip was too strong. "Noah… I'm leaving for New York tomorrow."_

"_I'll come to New York with you."_

"_You can't." Another sigh escaped Rachel's lips as Puck let go of her. "You're going to LA. You've already got everything organised, you can't just drop everything to be with me. How do you even know that I want to be with you?"_

_Puck raised an eyebrow. "So you don't want to be with me?"_

"_Noah, no! Of course I do. You know that, especially after last night. But I can't let another guy get in the way of New York for me. And I can't let you give up everything, either." She moved off his body and stood up, pulling her shirt from under him before putting it on. "You don't need me. You're going to do amazing in LA. If not, you know where I am." _

_Puck stood up, putting on his boxers before moving to Rachel, who was almost out his door. "Rach. I want to be with you."_

_She just turned around, kissed his cheek softly before leaning up on her tippy toes to wrap her arms around his neck to hug him. And before Puck could even argue with her, she was gone. That was the last he saw of her before she moved to New York._

The night haunted her ever since the move to New York. She hated admitting it, though. She fell in love again, got married and had a child. She couldn't regret her past decisions, but she still did. That night, she didn't even know how she felt about Puck. She had never really known until now. All she knew was that she had regretted leaving him like that in the dark, and after that night, she wanted a chance with him. He hadn't deserved her just upping and leaving.

What he did deserve was an explanation. She couldn't hold it off any longer. She first checked that Briella was sleeping soundly in her crib, before heading to the room next door to hers. She knocked hesitantly, before opening the door after Puck mumbled a 'come in'.

"Can we talk?"

Puck knew those words were never good. They always meant talking and feelings and awkward situations. And he had a feeling he knew exactly what this conversation was going to be about. He put his guitar down, patted the spot on the bed next to him. "Sure. Come sit."

Rachel didn't hesitate, sitting next to him, not too close but not too far away, either. From the look on his face, he was obviously a little concerned as to what she had to say.

"It's about… _that_ night. Which I guess you already knew."

Puck just nodded at Rachel. "Kinda figured. I was wondering when you would want to talk about it."

What was Rachel even supposed to say to him? Now she was here, about to have the conversation with no idea what to say. She could only tell him how she felt, right? "That night… it meant something to me. It always has and it always will. But pushing you away… I felt like such a horrible person."

"Rach… you were only trying to do what was best for the both of us. I was being selfish. I was a fucking idiot." Puck sighed, running his hand over his head. "I honestly don't know what I wanted, y'know?"

Rachel put her hand on his leg, rubbing it to comfort him a little. She could tell that he hated talking about this, but she was glad he was. "You're not an idiot, Noah. We were young back then. I had broken up with Finn and you were there for me."

"Fuck Rach, of course I was there for you. Finn was a douche and I was always there for you, you knew that."

The brunette nodded. "I know. And thank you for that. But I want you to know something. You will always mean something to me, Noah. That night meant something to me. I don't regret it. It may have been impulsive and selfish and crazy at the time… but I don't regret it one bit." She took his hand with both of hers, smiling up at him. "You'll always have a place in my heart, Noah. You've always been there for me. But I'm married." She reminded him.

"What happened to the whole promise you made me that you'll be in New York waiting for me if LA didn't work out?"

Rachel laughed. It wasn't even a real laugh. "You honestly didn't think it would really happen, right? We both had to move on. I moved on, and I'm sure you did as well. We just… we don't belong together." Rachel was even lying to herself now. But she couldn't let him see right through her.

The words from her mouth hit him like a tonne of bricks. But he was pretty much an expert on lying, so there was no problem. "You're right. I mean, I moved on a long time ago. But… it doesn't mean that I still don't care about you. You've got to do something about your sham of a marriage, Rachel."

She nodded, staying silent for a while. "I know."

Wait, did she really just agree with him? "Wow, Rachel Berry is finally admitting she's not perfect."

"Shut up!" She playfully slapped him. "I know I'm not perfect. My life isn't exactly turning out how I expected it to, but I'm coping. I want the best life for my daughter, but at the same time, I want her father in her life. Everything has been becoming a lot clearer since coming back to Lima. I guess it's always going to be my home."

"It may be your home, but you don't belong here, Berry. You know _exactly _where you belong."

A small smile appeared on Rachel's face. "You always wanted the best for me, Noah Puckerman." She rested her head on his side, still smiling.

"Anything for Rachel Berry." He rubbed her back, placing a small kiss on her head. "Sorry for being such an ass to you. I know you're going through a whole lot of shit, and the last thing you needed is me trying to control your life."

She looked up from resting on his shoulder to look into his eyes. "Like I said, you only wanted what's best for me."

Rachel was glad they had finally had that conversation. As she got up to walk out the room, she heard Puck say something to her.

"You know what you gotta do now, right?"

Rachel just nodded. She knew _exactly _what he meant. She had to go see him. Her father. The man who had raised her to become the strong, independent woman she is (or was, as it seems). She could do it. She knew it was going to be so hard, the hardest thing she might ever do, but she couldn't be selfish anymore. But one thing she knew is she couldn't do it alone. Before leaving Puck's room, she turned back around, unable to bring herself to leave the room until she asked him what she needed to.

"Would you come with me? To the hospital? I know it's something I should be doing alone, and I know that it should be just family there but I need some support, and you're the only one who I know here and you said you would do anything for me, and now I'm just rambling. I'm sorry!" Rachel scrunched her eyes together, putting her hands over her face to show as if she was embarrassed.

Puck just laughed, got up and walked over to Rachel. "Of course I'll come, Rachel." He put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "I _will _do anything for you, remember?" He assured her one last time. He was starting to see Rachel in a whole different light than when she first got here. The first day she arrived, she was broken and an utter mess. She was stubborn, and wouldn't give in to him, her father, not anyone. She was used to protecting herself and her daughter. She only had herself back home, so she had to learn be independent again. She was too afraid to let anyone in. She was too scared to hear the truth about her sham of a marriage. She wanted to make it work with him for her daughter. Puck could see how much she loved that little girl. Her whole life revolved around that girl, and it had made her take a lot more attention when letting someone into her life. It seemed like she was finally opening that door for Puck. She was finally confiding in him, admitting all the feeling she had and just letting him in. Puck appreciated that she had finally put that trust into him.

Rachel's trust meant he could dig a little deeper into the new world of Rachel Berry. He knew _exactly _what her problem was. It was the dick of a guy she called her husband. She had even admitted their marriage was breaking. Puck knew that with Rachel's trust, he could convince her a little more and more every day about how she belongs in New York, _single_. She basically was at the moment anyway. So to prove his point without making it obvious as to what he was doing, he would mention little things that made her husband such a complete asshole. He just wanted Rachel to be happy, and this seemed like the only way.

They dropped Briella off at Quinn and Finn's house after they had very kindly offered to babysit her whilst the two went to the hospital. Once Briella was out of the car, Puck's plan could come into play. So very casually, he started a conversation as Rachel drove.

"Sucks about you dad, Rach. It really does. I mean, this is a time when you really need your husband. When was he coming here again?"

Rachel just rolled her eyes. "I know what you're doing."

Puck raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I ain't trying to do anything."

"Sure." She bit her lip, focusing back on the road. She knew exactly what he was doing. She didn't need a rocket scientist to figure out her husband wasn't exactly acting like a husband right now. And she didn't need Puck telling her either.

"Has he even called you?" Puck waited for an answer from Rachel, but nothing. "A text, email, maybe a facebook message? No? I rest my case." Puck smirked.

Rachel just looked over to him, glaring right at him. If he was trying to piss her off, it was working. "I asked you to come with for support. Not to tell me how much of an asshole my husband is. He's just… busy. His job puts him through long hours." She shrugged.

Puck just chuckled. "Uh huh."

Rachel didn't even reply before she pulled over onto an empty lot. "Get out." Puck just laughed until he realized how serious Rachel was. She was glaring right at him, before she repeated the words, a little sterner this time.

"Rach, I'm sorry.."

She shook her head. "I don't care, Puck. You were out of line. So get out."

Puck sighed, before doing as she said. He slammed the door, walking out onto the field of grass before running his hand over his head. His plan had failed miserably. He watched Rachel in the car. She was just sitting there, her breathing steady and her body still. She even looked like she was crying. What he didn't think she would do is get out of the car and run towards him. She started hitting him, punching him anywhere she could lay her hands on. And she _really _hit like a girl. "Rach…" She sighed, watching as she didn't stop. "Rachel, you know this isn't hurting me at all, right?"

"It's supposed to!" She yelled a little, before stopping, puffing as she started crying. "You're right Noah, okay! Is that what you want me to say? Do you want me to admit that my life is a mess? No, my husband hasn't made any contact with me since I left. I check my phone every five minutes for a message or phone call or anything from him, because maybe, just maybe, he will change back to the Caleb I fell in love with. But every day is a disappointment; I'm not going to lie. And maybe _everything _you've said is true, but you were out of line, Noah Puckerman! You were out of line and you shouldn't have said anything you did!" At this point, Rachel was almost in hysterics. And if there was one thing Puck knew, it was he wasn't good with crying girls and their feelings. "All you've done since I've been here is stuck your nose where it doesn't belong. That used to be my job!" He had to stop her. He was listening to every word she said because he knew he was out of line and she deserved to be angry with him. But he couldn't handle the crying. So instead of replying to her or arguing with her, he just pulled her into his arms and let her cry her eyes out. Her tears were soaking into his shirt and his hands were tangled in her hair from how firmly and tightly he was holding her, but he didn't care. He hated seeing her like this. And it was his fault. If he had just left the matter be she would be fine. Well, almost fine, apart from the fact she was about to visit her dying father for what could be the last time.

Puck eventually settled down Rachel and managed to convince her to let him drive. She was in no state to be driving, that was for sure. Puck made sure to drive carefully, he knew Rachel had become a bit paranoid over cars lately. They finally got to the hospital, and as they both moved to the front of the car, Rachel took Puck's hand. She took a deep breath and squeezed on his hand a little tighter. Puck just squeezed it back, acknowledging to her that he wasn't going anywhere. They walked into the hospital hand in hand, walking straight past reception without a sound. Hospitals freaked Rachel out. All the germs and diseases and people passing away, it just wasn't a pleasant place to be. When they came to the room, Rachel froze. Puck unlinked their hands and instead, put his arm over Rachel's shoulder, pulling her close before kissing the top of her head.

"You can do this, Rach. You're strong and you will get through this. And you have me. Trust me, okay?" Rachel nodded at Puck as he opened the door. He almost thought he would have had to drag her in, but she kept a hold of him and they walked into the room together. Rachel's dad's face lit up when he saw Rachel. Puck instantly let go of the brunette and let her father embrace her as she cried into his chest. Puck even had a little tear in his eye as he watched, not that he would ever admit it.

Finally Rachel pulled away, slowly walking over to her daddy lying in the hospital bed with all those tubes hanging out of him, the cuts and bruises scattered all over his fragile and pale body. It felt like she was on auto function; she just sat down on the chair without even thinking and took his hand, kissing it softly.

"Daddy, I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I'm sorry it took me so long, but I just… I couldn't bear to watch the man who raised me just…" She couldn't even say the words. Her father was dying, almost gone. "But… it's okay. It's okay to let go. I know you're in pain, and I don't want you to suffer. So it's okay to give in and leave us." At that point Rachel was just sobbing. She squeezed his hand a little harder.

That's when she felt it. Her father's finger moved a couple of millimetres. She thought that was a sign or something from her father. The moving was followed by a flat line and droned out beep on his heart monitor. That was it. He was gone. He could finally be at peace.

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><p><strong>I hope you guys loved it! And I really do appreciate reviews, I think those and the subscriptions keep me writing faster. So remember to review and subscribe! 3<strong>


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